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Vivian MacKerrell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vivian Alan James MacKerrell (1944-05-23)23 May 1944 London, England |
| Died | 2 March 1995(1995-03-02) (aged 50) |
| Alma mater | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama |
| Occupation | Actor |
Vivian Alan James MacKerrell (23 May 1944 – 2 March 1995) was a British actor of the 1960s and 1970s. He was the basis for the character of Withnail in the filmWithnail and I.
Vivian MacKerrell was the son of Scottish accountant John Alexander McKerrell [sic - spelling] (1906-1994) and Janetta Mary (née Boyns, 1910-1987). The family were well-off.[1] He had two brothers, John and David.[citation needed] The McKerrell parents retired toBowmore, a town on the shores of the sea loch,Loch Indaal, on theIsle of Islay, where Vivian enjoyed visiting.[1][2] MacKerrell attended the privateTrent College near Nottingham.[1]
As a student atthe Central School of Speech and Drama in London, he shared a house inAlbert Street,Camden, London with the musicianDavid Dundas and film directorBruce Robinson, writer and director ofWithnail & I (1987). Another house mate, actorMichael Feast, described MacKerrell as a "splenetic wastrel of a fop", whilst Robinson has said he was a "jack of all but a master of none", declaring himself a great actor but doing nothing to prove this. Robinson has also stated that MacKerrell was the funniest person he has ever met.
MacKerrell kept a diary, in which he recorded details of his life in Camden Town: an entry in the volumes for 1974-1975 records, "After a pint, I read and corrected more ofWithnail and I and when [Robinson] came back we opened the bottle ofPouilly-Fuissé which L had put out in the window box to chill." These volumes of diaries were put up for sale by auction at Sotheby's in London on 11 July 2024;[3][2] the lot was later withdrawn.[2]
A biography of MacKerrell,Vivian and I, by Colin Bacon was published in 2010.[1][4]
In the early 1960s, MacKerrell worked atNottingham Playhouse, both as assistantstage manager and performing withIan McKellen inSaturday Night and Sunday Morning and withJohn Neville inCoriolanus. In the 1970s, he was the junior lead inHadrian VII at theMermaid Theatre.[5]
MacKerrell had only a handful of television and film credits, which included aPlay for Today, titled "Edna, the Inebriate Woman" (1971), andGhost Story (1974), a horror film that also starredMarianne Faithfull. He also appeared in the1967 BBC television version ofPride and Prejudice as Mr Hurst, for which he was credited as Vivian James, an earlier stage name.[citation needed]
MacKerrell's career was curtailed by heavy drinking. He died fromthroat cancer, which he contracted in his 40s. After a short remission in the mid-1980s, the illness returned and MacKerrell underwent alaryngectomy. Unable to eat or drink, he resorted to injecting alcohol directly into his stomach.[5] In his last days, MacKerrell contracted pneumonia after a drunken incident and died inGloucester Royal Infirmary. His last words were reportedly "Give me a fucking pre-med you fuckers, I’m a personal friend ofSir Lancelot Spratt."[4] His ashes were scattered onLoch Indaal,Islay.[1]
Bruce Robinson related how MacKerrell once dranklighter fluid and was unable to see for days after the incident.[6] This is depicted in a scene fromWithnail & I. MacKerrell's diaries record the event, as well as others that appear in the film, such as visiting the wolves in Regent's Park Zoo.[3]
| 1967 | Les Misérables (BBC1) | Marius (four of ten episodes) |
| 1967 | Pride and Prejudice | Mr Hurst (credited as Vivian James) |
| 1969 | Thirty-Minute Theatre -And Was Invited to Form a Government (BBC2) | Kevin Croft |
| 1971 | Play for Today -Edna, the Inebriate Woman (BBC1) | Tramp |
| 1974 | Ghost Story | Duller |
| 1974 | Romance with a Double Bass (short) | Footman (uncredited) |